


In A Twist Of Duality

by Clarybell90



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Accidental Use of the Force, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anger, Armitage Hux Has Issues, Armitage Hux Has Some Feelings, Back on my kylux shit again, Bad Guys Win, Character Death, Denial of Feelings, Fix-It of Sorts, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force-Sensitive Armitage Hux, Hux gains actual power, Hux is a sniper too btw, Jealousy, Kylo Ren Has Issues, M/M, Not Canon Compliant - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Protective Kylo Ren, Self-Hatred, Sex, Sort of opposite dynamics, Takes some ideas from Duel of the Fates, The First Order Wins (Star Wars), This has been brewing for a while, This is gonna be long isnt it, but nothing explicit, enjoy my trash, light saber training, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:20:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23870743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clarybell90/pseuds/Clarybell90
Summary: "It's a turning point in the Force. A manifestation of fate itself," The void explains, "What happens to them can change everything.""And what we just felt?"The void smiles, face deceptively soft for the violent intent swirling inside it."That means one of us has a new ally, Rey. A brand new player in this game. Who do you think will get to them first?"
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Comments: 28
Kudos: 105





	1. Chapter 1

Supreme Leader Kylo Ren was once again gone. No orders, no warning, no nothing. Off chasing the ghost of a girl who long since gave up on him. Hux wishes he could be surprised at this point. Once again control is handed off to those underneath him, their only standing orders to keep patrol up as they await the next part in their takeover plan.

Not that Hux particularly likes how that plan is shaping itself up to this point. As a battle commander, especially over ground troops, Hux has to admit that Ren has some strategic talent. Yet when it came to something like a large scale invasion, he was woefully inadequate. And stubborn. No amount of needling has gotten through to the man, and all of Hux's carefully crafted plans keep getting shunted to the side in favor of some other mcguffin of the Force, always impressive until they backfire hideously.

Honestly, it's amazing that the ancient Sith even survived, never mind had an empire, when looking at just their artifacts.

One thing Ren's inattention has given Armitage, though, is time. Time to plan, time to work, and time to investigate. All without someone shoving their nose into his business. The peace of it alone has been a blessing in itself.

It had started by gaining several specific items from once smuggling rings, disbanded after the fall of the Empire. Then information from a certain imprisoned Hutt. Then some hard searching.

And that is how Hux finds himself landing his personal shuttle on Tatooine.

Very few people know of this mission, and those that do are all some of Hux's most trusted. So, secure in his secrecy, the General delves into the desert.

It's surprising how easily people will trust someone who knows just a little bit of their culture. Especially if said person takes great care in trying to blend in. Not that Hux is really hard to mistake for someone else, but even now Tatooine is remote, and thousands of ex-slaves or decedents of slaves come here every year. Seems family is still important to them.

Hux finds the sentimentality disgustingly easy to take advantage of.

"Sir, do you know where the Lars homestead is?"

The old man squints up at him over his glass of alcohol. His face has wrinkles upon wrinkles on it, skin dark as wood. The oldest human that Hux could find. Hopefully it will be good enough.

"The Lars's? Boy, you must be mistaken, the Lars family was killed nearly thirty four years ago. No one's been out there but scavengers."

Hux does his best to appear disappointed, lowering his shoulders in a way he used to when he was younger, "They were my last chance at finding living relatives, sir. I didn't know they were dead."

There it is, that flicker of something pitying on the man's face, "You related to Shmi, boy? The Lars were free, but I know one of them married her when she was an ex-slave. Her grave is still out there."

Hux nods, looking down as if saddened. He only has to hold the pose for a couple seconds before the man sighs. Standing up, he clasps a hand onto Armitage's shoulder. He can feel the calluses on his palms even through the fabric of his shirt. It's hard to not pull a face at the contact.

"Come on boy," The man says, "I'll take you out there. Least you can pay respects."

From there Hux gets on the man's speeder, trying to not cringe at the obvious rust and sand damage. Or at the way the seats crinkle underneath him. He just needs to endure this long enough to get what he needs, and then he can go back to his comfortable uniform and perfectly clean ship.

The ride takes a solid hour, the sun bearing down on them the whole time. Hux finds himself thankful for the shawl he'd brought, wrapping it around himself and hoping he doesn't end up having to hide a sun burn from his crew. Damn desert planets.

The Lars's old home is wrecked. Sand covers half of it, and all the moisture harvesters are gutted. The buildings are crumbling, but just over the side sits four neat crosses. The old man gets up, gesturing for Hux to follow.

"There they are. Sorry you came all this way for some graves, but maybe now you can have some closure, huh?"

He says it as he's looking at the graves with a somber look on his face. He doesn't even pay attention to Hux, not even seeing the blaster being leveled at his head. One shot, quick and efficient. The man crumples to the sand, a look of surprise plastered on his face.

Kicking a small puff of sand at the body, Hux turns on his heel and goes back to his speeder. From there he only has to input the coordinates, and a small little blip appears on the map. Satisfied, Hux kicks the engine back on and heads into the canyons.

It takes much less time to find the single roomed shack hidden amongst the rocks. Getting inside is even easier, the door long since dry rotted off the hinges. The inside is oddly pristine, though, other than the layers of sand over everything. Good, that means the information was right and it is still here.

The first sweep of the room of course brings nothing. So from there it's a game of trying to find hidden compartments and switches that could be easily concealed. Yet once again nothing comes up. By the time Hux has gone through everything for a fourth time, he's starting to get frustrated.

It's a feeling in his gut that has him turning to the seemingly stone bed frame and tugging. At first nothing happens, but with a little more force behind his pulling, the top shifts with a small click. Reaching to the other side, Hux hooks his fingers around the edge and slowly drags the top off of the bed.

A large cavity sits inside, with several different parts and pieces of some sort of mechanical device. Grinning in victory, Hux stows away his bounty in a bag he brought. He leaves the shack in disarray, finding no need to clean up his own mess. It's not like Obi-Wan - or should he say Ben - Kenobi would be coming home any time soon.

Inputting the coordinates to his ship into the speeder, Hux happily removes himself from Tatooine, pleased with his findings.

* * *

Massaging between his eyes, Armitage takes a break from his project with a frustrated sigh. Once again, despite following all the instructions, it fails to work. Not that Hux didn't tweak the design, because he absolutely did, but it shouldn't have been anything that effected the functioning.

He can design anything from a sniper rifle to a world destroying superweapon, and yet the intricacies of a lightsaber is what defeats him?

A part of his mind reminds him that Kylo had created his own lightsaber, even designed it's cross guard, and that, unsurprisingly, makes his already building headache even worse.

Grumbling, Hux pushes himself up and away from his work table and heading to the fresher. His hands are covered in a layer of fine grease, and Hux would prefer it be gone before he goes to bed. Not that he had much time left to rest, but it's better than he's had before. At least Ren isn't obsessed with his subordinates getting him the results instead of doing the work himself. It's probably the only improvement over Snoke's leadership.

The water is cold, the Finalizer not equipped with water heaters except for in the kitchens and laundry, and it makes Hux's fingers ache. They look red even before going under the stream, a result of taking something apart and putting it back together again for several hours. He's sure they'll ache in the morning. Working on painstakingly small details will definitely seize up muscles for days after.

Once the grease is gone, Armitage strips. He takes off the grease covered tank he wears while working, shoving it in the hamper to be cleaned over his next shift. His hair has long since fallen out of it's pomade hold, and instead frames his face. Looking in the mirror just reveals the slowly growing circles under his eyes, a side effect of cutting into his sleep for his own personal projects.

Normally Hux is loath to give up on something so easily, but maybe a break is what he needs. Some time to clear his head and get everything out. He had to do it multiple times on Starkiller, after all. Especially the targeting system.

Thinking of his greatest triumph, and greatest failure, once again doesn't fail to send an oddly painful twinge through his chest. Scowling, Armitage leaves the fresher to instead climb into bed.

Yet no sleep comes. Something keeps tugging at Hux's mind, a feeling originating deep inside him somewhere. It leaves him unable to sleep, instead tossing and turning for several hours as he waits for it to pass. Nothing. Something keeps urging him to get up, to work, to keep going.

It's a familiar pull, yet completely different at the same time. Yes, he's always been somewhat of a workaholic, but that was from ambition. Not from this strange desire that had started needling at his mind from the moment he first watched Kylo ignite his own lightsaber. This couldn't even be used to improve the Order in any way. It's a purely personal goal, that shouldn't be taking anymore time than Hux has already been giving it.

But the General still gets out of bed and back to taking the saber apart once again. He has it down to an art at this point, undoing all the small parts. He has it completely apart in minutes, but something has him hesitating. After a moment of consideration, Hux pulls the kyber crystal out of it's holding.

It was found someplace in the Unknown Regions, and the trader had refused to elaborate beyond that. Even in bright light it's exceedingly dark, a wine color that almost borders on purple. In the dimness of his room, it looks black. He fiddles with it for a moment, but finds no reason as to why he needed to check on the damn thing. Sighing, Armitage closes his eyes and tries to clear his head.

And just like that, he's thrown into a realm of stars. Everything around him shimmers. Hux's head feels like it's both far too empty, and filled to bursting. Trying to close his eyes does nothing, the lights still penetrate everything, even him.

Twisting around reveals more lights, each of them fluctuating and moving at their own pace. Some impossibly close, and others impossibly far. It hurts, and yet it feels incredibly soothing at the same time.

He continues to move, trying to get away from the light, until he spots the single solace in the whole realm. It looks like a storm built of the universe itself, dark and thundering and oh so powerful. It reminds Hux of home.

He lets himself drift after that, still gazing at the vortex of clouds. Every now and then something flashes through it, lightning. Yet that doesn't seem right. Lightning shouldn't hurt the storm itself, no. It should be an extension of it's power, a symbol of what it can create even in the blackness. Lightning is one of the most dangerous things you could find when you expose yourself to the elements. Armitage's mother had told him that almost every day, told him not to wander too far into the tempest lest he find himself destroyed in the process.

Only now does he really ask if she meant it literally or not.

Humming softly, Hux closes his eyes and dreams of the rains and crashing seas of Arkanis.

He wakes up hours later to his alarm going off, sitting straight up in the wooden chair he keeps at his work space. Everything aches, and Hux feels hollowed out like a stone left for too long in a current. Like there's a hole right in his center.

Yet when he looks down, he finds his hands cradling a certain hilt, once again completely assembled. Frowning, Hux tries to remember when he had fixed it. He finds himself unable to come up with a proper answer. Maybe he had sleepwalked, though that thought in itself is concerning. Hux hadn't thought he was so sleep deprived to do that again.

Hux fiddles with the button on the hilt, fully expecting nothing. Yet when he presses on it, out slides a wine colored blade with that familiar sound that sends the hairs on the back of his neck up. Gaping in incomprehension for a long moment, Hux listens to the blade hum in his hands.

He's done it.

* * *

Two different figures jerk out of their rest at the same time, one an shining beacon hiding a blackened core, and the other a void with a single nugget of light smothered inside it. Within seconds their presences collide, bending space around them in a bond stronger than little else the force could create.

Both of them stand staring at each other for a long moment, heaving from the adrenaline already flowing through their veins.

"What did you _do,_ " The beacon hisses, bristling like an angry cat. The void tilts his head slightly, seemingly considering the question.

"So it wasn't you?"

"What do you mean it wasn't me!" They more yell than ask, "Of course it wasn't me."

"Ah," The void says, looking less at the light before him and more into the fabric of the universe itself, "I assumed it was you because how many shatterpoints center themselves onto you."

"Shatterpoints?"

"You don't know what they are? Did those Jedi texts not teach you everything after all?"

The beacon's face twists, and for the briefest of moments that dark core reveals itself. The void perks up at the feeling, attention once again focused on the being it's connected to.

"If you trained wi-"

"Don't. We both know the answer."

Silence falls between them, nothing being shared but the sound of their breathing.

"It's a turning point in the Force. A manifestation of fate itself," The void explains, "What happens to them can change everything."

"And what we just felt?"

The void smiles, face deceptively soft for the violent intent swirling inside it.

"That means one of us has a new ally, Rey. A brand new player in this game. Who do you think will get to them first?"

The beacon jerks forward, as if that will change the actual distance between them, and not just the perception of the bond, "Ben. No."

That smile doesn't fall off the void's face, "I hope the Rebellion is worth it, Rey. Because I'll destroy it all once I find the source."

And just like that, the void breaks off their connection.


	2. Chapter 2

The Finalizer is abuzz. Mouse droids scuttle through the halls, Stormtroopers rush to their posts, and officers scramble to do their morning duties as fast as possible. Why? Because the Supreme Leader is coming.

Unannounced.

Hux can already feel the headache building.

He too, of course has preparations to do, so he busies himself with that instead of thinking on their current leader. Or at least tries. It's rather hard when every other report he reads is something about the man.

The Knights of Ren have always been somewhat of an enigma, and Kylo especially so. The fact that Snoke had assigned him to be Hux's co-commander just meant that suddenly _he_ was the one who was forced to pin down the man. And when left in close proximity with him for so long, well, the mysteriousness started to wear off rather quickly.

Kylo is a raging mess of wildly switching emotions and deeply engraved issues with absolutely zero sense of proper consequences unless they somehow relate back to the Force. And Hux _loathes_ him. He hates the way Ren throws tantrums, hates how arrogant he is, hates the damned way he walks through the corridors like a wraith, everything.

Looking back now, Hux can see how that was exactly what Snoke wanted. He wanted them to hate each other to the very core. To each want the other out of their lives. It was his way of making sure they were both too occupied at trying to rip out the others throat in hopes that it would stop them from trying to seize power.

And look how it turned out for him.

The irony isn't lost on Hux, but the deeper problem is exactly where he himself sits in this situation.

Hux is known to be a schemer. He is also known for openly despising their new leader and constantly criticizing any plan he had made before - And more privately, after - his rise to power. Kriff, Hux had even almost killed the man himself when he had first come upon the wreckage of the throne room. While he never voices it, he's sure Ren knows Hux wishes he had been faster. His life would be a lot simpler if he had.

So that just leaves him with the question of why. Why is Hux here.

Silently, he dreads the answer.

Massaging his temple, Hux finishes the last report scheduled for the morning with half an hour left to spare before the projected landing of their oh so wonderful Supreme Leader. Plenty of time to get down to the hangar. With any luck, Ren will just immediately send them all away like usual, and Hux can go on pretending like Ren isn't on his ship.

Hux pushes himself up from his desk, carefully pressing down any wrinkles formed from sitting for so long. Pausing for a moment, he grabs the hilt he kept out and stows it safely in a desk. Once it's placed, he puts his blaster in it's usual place at his hip. Always be prepared for the worst, after all.

Though he steadfastly ignores it, the hair on the back of Hux's neck stands on end. The air seems to practically crackle, and a voice at the back of his head keeps whispering warning after warning. It feels like being back on Arkanis.

It feels like a storm is brewing.

* * *

The roar of engines is the only sound in the hangar as the men stand gathered, ready to greet their Supreme Leader. As the ship lands, Hux moves forward to the standard spot, prepared to answer to any call Ren gives. When the ramp starts lowering, he pushes it to the last possible second before he salutes, the closest he can get to insubordination without actually falling into that territory. It's one of his favorite games to play.

Ren walks down the gangway with quick steps, barely bothering to put everyone at ease with a wave of his hand. Hux continues to stand at attention, expecting the man to breeze right past him like the last twelve times they've done this song and dance, but at the last moment Ren gestures for him to follow. Stuffing his annoyance behind a wall Hux keeps between himself and his duty, he turns and follows the man in silence.

Kylo looks like a predator hunting down it's prey, eyes scanning everything they pass with precision. All of Hux's hair feels like it's standing on end now, even when he himself isn't the one at the end of that gaze. It's that exact reason he's even kept power for so long. When Ren wants to, he can most certainly be intimidating. Especially without the stupid mask.

They continue on into the mostly empty hallways without a word exchanged between them. After several twists and turns, they end up entering Kylo's rarely used office. He barely brightens the light enough to see. Hux halfway thinks this is it, Ren is finally going to kill him. At least here he'll have the decency of not dying in front of his men.

But no. Instead Ren crosses over to the viewport, staring out at some unseeable point in the distance.

"I will be checking every single person on this ship. I want exactly how many people are staffed," Ren says, not even bothering to turn around.

"Of course, sir. And would you like me to give you a list of names and schedules?"

"No. I'll be checking them in my own time."

"Yes sir," Hux says, trying to keep the contempt out of his voice, "I'll inform the crew im-"

"No," Ren interrupts, "Do not tell them."

"And why is that?"

"I don't want them to know that I'm coming. I only told you because you always seem to kick up a fuss when I interrupt whatever benign things happen on this ship."

Hux clenches his jaw for a moment, refusing to rise to the bait, "And may I ask why you'll be scaring my officers out of their wits?"

Through the his reflection in the viewport, Hux sees Kylo frown slightly.

"I felt a disturbance in the force. That's all you need to know General. Dismissed."

Hux manages to keep in his scowl until he reaches his own quarters, where no one else can see it.

* * *

Nearly two weeks into Ren's impromptu stay, Hux has just about had it with him. Between the constant reports of his crew being startled in the night, as well as the several pieces of equipment now broken, the stress has Hux tense and angry.

But without any solid plan, (Not that he hasn't been working on one - he has but every time he has something to work with the damn man _changes_ something and it all falls apart.), Hux is left without any way to work out his frustration.

So he goes to train.

The Finalizer has an entire section just for hologram simulations and droid run battles. The terrain can even be changed around to suit the user's needs. And the door can be locked.

Which leaves it the perfect place to test out his newly obtained lightsaber.

He had originally planned to not use it until Ren had left, but now that his stay is looking more and more permanent, Hux was needing to come up with some way to test it. The engineer in him was just screaming over the fact that he had yet to even use the blade in even a sim.

So Hux gets properly dressed, and he heads on down to the training rooms. Dismissing the person in charge, he sets everything himself. He starts it off as a sniper mission, what he usually does, as to prevent any suspicion. If it switches objective around halfway through, well, that's harder to spot in the logs than most things, and Hux doubts Ren will do much digging.

Picking up the training rifle, Hux goes through the familiar movements of checking all the parts of the gun. Once he's satisfied, he enters the sim.

The first part is stealth, trying to sneak through areas to a proper perch without getting spotted. Once that is done it's a waiting game, sitting still for long periods of time waiting for the proper target. It takes a level of patience most men would balk at. Hux loves it.

Carefully looking through his scope, taking in a deep silent breath, Hux centers on the droid marked as his target. Gathering himself into himself, he softly exhales, and takes the shot.

The droid's head flies off, tossing itself into the wall of a fake building. There's silence for a moment before all chaos breaks loose. At that point Hux has already shimmied off his perch and is currently delving into the fake crowd of civilians.

Normally this would be the point where Hux would head to the predetermined extraction point, but instead the sim shifts scene. It's disorienting while still inside, watching all the obstacles change shape all around him. So Hux puts his rifle back in it's holster on his back, closes his eyes, and draws the thin hilt off his belt.

Despite not being ignited, the metal seems to hum in Hux's hand, to the point where he can feel it even with gloves on. The thought is unnerving, but before he can dwell on it, the sound of blaster fire echoes through the room.

Hux dives to the ground, narrowly avoiding a stun blast, before rolling to his feet. Pressing a finger to the button, the wine colored blade extends with a loud noise. That's all the time he has before Hux has to move again, determinedly trying to break through the battle droid's defenses.

They're barely at the intelligence of an average human, and pathetically easy to outsmart, but the challenge comes from wielding a weapon he is unfamiliar with. There is no extra weight added from the laser, and so making sure to not overcompensate is key. He manages to take down two, before a something inside him screams in warning.

Spinning around, Hux puts the saber between himself and the blast. It deflects back at the droid shooting, shorting the thing out upon contact. His heart pounds in his chest.

Then the remaining droids all fall over, the sim disappearing before him. Hux tenses at the sound of the door opening with a soft woosh. Turning, he finds himself looking straight into the face of Kylo Ren.

Hux's lightsaber is still out, illuminating the dim room with an eerie glow. They both stare at each other, only the sounds of Hux's panting and the soft hum of his saber breaking the silence.

"Oh," Kylo breathes, taking in the sight of Hux in his sniper fatigues, lightsaber in hand, eyes wide and expressive. He looks as though he's never even properly seen Hux before. Like a dying man seeing water in a desert when they first thought it was a mirage, "It was you."


	3. Chapter 3

The lightsaber retracts back into it's hilt with a quiet sound. Weapon it may be, Hux knows when he as a chance at winning a fight. This is not one of those times. Not with Kylo staring directly at him, his own saber securely on his hip.

So instead, Hux clips the hilt to his belt, and forces himself to stand at attention. The movement seems to pull Ren out of whatever trance he had fallen into. He stands straighter, and that painfully vulnerable look falls off his face.

"Your records say that you're a Null, Hux."

"Sir?"

"You're listed as a Force Null. _I_ thought you were a Null, as did Snoke. How did you hide it for so long?" Kylo's voice lowers lightly as he speaks. The sound sends shivers down Hux's spine.

It takes a moment for Hux to realize what Ren is implying, and he feels nothing but blistering indignation once he does.

"I assure you, Supreme Leader," He spits the title like a slur, crossing that line he'd been carefully toeing for months now, "I haven't been hiding anything. I've never used the Force, and I'd prefer to keep it that way."

In an instant, Ren is upon him, hand around his throat. Except, no, it isn't. Despite crowding up into Hux's space, Ren doesn't seem to deem choking him with his own hands nearly as important as using the thrice damned force. It's a wonderful mimicry of a very similar situation in a throne room, not too long ago.

If Hux was angry before, it was nothing compared to this. A toxic combination of pain, humiliation, and unbridled, untempered, _loathing_. Locking eyes with Kylo, he snarls through the choke hold on his neck. He wishes he could do this to Ren. That he could humiliate him, _hurt_ him-

It feels like something pops behind his eyes, like sometimes used to happen with his sinuses when he was young and sick often. Something flows through him, and the next thing Hux knows, he's flat on his ass with Kylo splayed out on the floor a few feet away. The hold on his neck is gone, but a dull pain remains. It will bruise.

Hux sucks in a deep breath as he watches Kylo push himself up. He's on one knee, like someone proposing to a lover, except the hunch and his shoulders and the look in his eyes changes the meaning. It's angry, predatory, and looks more like it belongs in a dimly lit bedroom than as a declaration of love.

"That, Hux," Kylo says lowly, "Was the Force."

He wants to argue, but Ren is now _humming_. Not literally, not using his mouth. Instead Hux can just feel it. Like an electrical storm was shoved into the body of a man. A personification of nature at it's most dangerous.

_'Never go too deep into a storm, Armitage. It will destroy you,'_ His mother's voice echoes through his ears.

He's starting to question what she really meant when she told him that.

"I...," His voice wavers, and Hux swallows before forcing it to still, "I've never done something like that before."

The air seems to ring. Truth, it says. The sensation makes Hux's skin crawl. It feels like an invasion. Kylo settles back on his haunches, and the storm seems to clear a bit. Still a humming mass, but the danger of being swept away and torn to shreds dissipates slightly.

"It was latent. Working subconsciously, but never truly manifesting," He says, seeming oddly fascinated.

Hux scowls at him, "Is that normal?"

"No," Kylo answers immediately, "It would take a massive amount of suppression from a young age. Both in emotion and the Force. Most children accidentally use it when emotions run high."

Well. It seems that Ren just hit the nail on the head. He described Hux's entire childhood in one sentence.

Brendol didn't like it when his son showed any sign of emotion. He said it would make Armitage weak, and it often earned him a beating. Things didn't get any better when he entered the Academy. Not with dozens of other boys trying to distinguish themselves, and being perfectly willing to exploit any kind of opening they found.

Hux can't even remember the last time he wasn't on a tight leash. Either of his own making, or someone else's.

"What made it start now?" He asks.

Ren has the audacity to shrug, "I would say when you lost control a moment ago, but I've felt you multiple times now."

" _Pardon_?"

"I felt you earlier when I was already on this deck, and the Force warned you of coming danger. Stopped you from being shot," He pauses, "And once more, before. I can only assume that was when you made that saber."

"You were halfway across the galaxy," Hux snaps, "Even Snoke couldn't feel things that far away."

Kylo bristles at the slight, "You set off a shatterpoint. Any Force-Sensitive n the next three galaxies could have felt it."

"A what?"

"Shatterpoint. It means you changed fate, and it sent ripples throughout the Force in response."

Hux snorts, "And let me guess, you have to use the Force to do it? Like everything else you're interested in? Is that why you chased down the source?"

"No," Kylo answers quietly, "Many things can cause them. You set off several when you fired the Starkiller, and again when it was destroyed."

As always, the mention of his greatest failure smarts, but something in Kylo's expression gives him pause. It's softened, almost pained. In a second, though, it's gone once more. 

"You're strong, Hux. Let me train you."

Hux barks out a laugh, "Train with you? I'm not your little scavenger girl. I _hate_ you."

Kylo bares is teeth in what could be a smile, but it ends up looking slightly feral. It's rather fitting, Hux thinks. He might be the one Snoke referred to as a rabid cur, but he held Kylo's leash for years as well. Both of them were tools of destruction, both willing and able to break whatever was needed to further their goals. It's odd, finding such a similarity between himself and Ren.

"Good," Kylo says, "I wasn't expecting anything less from you."

"That wasn't a yes, Ren."

"It wasn't a no either."

Kriff him for being right.


End file.
